SetProcessDEPPolicy function (winbase.h)
Changes data execution prevention (DEP) and DEP-ATL thunk emulation settings for a 32-bit process.
Syntax
BOOL SetProcessDEPPolicy(
[in] DWORD dwFlags
);
Parameters
[in] dwFlags
A DWORD that can be one or more of the following values.
Return value
If the function succeeds, it returns TRUE.
If the function fails, it returns FALSE. To retrieve error values defined for this function, call GetLastError.
Remarks
The SetProcessDEPPolicy function overrides the system DEP policy for the current process unless its DEP policy was specified at process creation. The system DEP policy setting must be OptIn or OptOut. If the system DEP policy is AlwaysOff or AlwaysOn, SetProcessDEPPolicy returns an error. After DEP is enabled for a process, subsequent calls to SetProcessDEPPolicy are ignored.
DEP policy specified at process creation with the PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_MITIGATION_POLICY attribute cannot be changed for the life of the process. In this case, calls to SetProcessDEPPolicy fail with ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED.
SetProcessDEPPolicy is supported for 32-bit processes only. If this function is called on a 64-bit process, it fails with ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED.
Applications written to ATL 7.1 and earlier can attempt to execute code on pages marked as non-executable, which triggers an NX fault and terminates the application. DEP-ATL thunk emulation allows an application that would otherwise trigger an NX fault to run with DEP enabled. For information about ATL versions, see ATL and MFC Version Numbers.
If DEP-ATL thunk emulation is enabled, the system intercepts NX faults, emulates the instructions, and handles the exceptions so the application can continue to run. If DEP-ATL thunk emulation is disabled by setting PROCESS_DEP_DISABLE_ATL_THUNK_EMULATION for the process, NX faults are not intercepted, which is useful when testing applications for compatibility with DEP.
The following table summarizes the interactions between system DEP policy, DEP-ATL thunk emulation, and SetProcessDEPPolicy. To get the system DEP policy setting, use the GetSystemDEPPolicy function.
| System DEP policy | DEP behavior | DEP_ATL thunk emulation behavior | SetProcessDEPPolicy behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
|
AlwaysOff
0 |
Disabled for the operating system and all processes. | Not applicable. | Returns an error. |
|
AlwaysOn
1 |
Enabled for the operating system and all processes. | Disabled. | Returns an error. |
|
OptIn
2 Default configuration for Windows client versions. |
Enabled for the operating system and disabled for nonsystem processes. Administrators can explicitly enable DEP for selected executable files. | Not applicable. |
DEP can be enabled for the current process.
If DEP is enabled for the current process, DEP-ATL thunk emulation can be disabled for that process. |
|
OptOut
3 Default configuration for Windows Server versions. |
Enabled for the operating system and all processes. Administrators can explicitly disable DEP for selected executable files. | Enabled. |
DEP can be disabled for the current process.
If DEP is disabled for the current process, DEP-ATL thunk emulation is automatically disabled for that process. |
To compile an application that calls this function, define _WIN32_WINNT as 0x0600 or later. For more information, see Using the Windows Headers.
Requirements
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum supported client | Windows Vista with SP1, Windows XP with SP3 [desktop apps only] |
| Minimum supported server | Windows Server 2008 [desktop apps only] |
| Target Platform | Windows |
| Header | winbase.h (include Windows.h) |
| Library | Kernel32.lib |
| DLL | Kernel32.dll |